The 650 members of the San Benito High School graduating class of 2019 were awarded their high school diplomas under sunshine and warm temperatures during a picturesque day in Hollister.
“I was very impressed with our 2019 graduates. We had amazing singers and articulate student speakers,” said Board President Steve Delay, who was front and center with his board colleagues for Friday’s graduation festivities. “I expect there will be some incredible accomplishments from these students.”
The newest SBHS grads will soon head off to various post-secondary paths from junior college to four-year universities to trade schools, with others entering into job apprenticeships and other endeavors.
Jaron Cota (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Frederick Keith (UCLA) were co-valedictorians for the Class of 2019, while Stanford-bound Ian Sills was the 2019 class salutatorian.
The Class of 2019 earned hundreds of college acceptances this year, spanning eight University of California campuses (including Berkeley, UCLA, Santa Cruz, Davis, Irvine and Santa Barbara); nine California State Universities (Monterey Bay, Cal Poly, Sacramento State, San Jose State and Sonoma); private and junior colleges in the state and throughout the country, according to district staff. Others are headed out of state to universities such as Georgetown, Brown University, Oregon, Brigham Young University and Boise State.
“I am very proud and excited to see our students go into a wide variety of avenues in pursuing their post-secondary education,” said SBHS vice principal Claire Grissom. “It is important for us to celebrate our students equally as they pursue the passion that drives them.”
More than 20 seniors indicated in a recent survey of seniors that they will join the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines. A number of students are taking a career pat, through apprenticeships, trade and technical schools, employment training centers, culinary institutes or joining the Job Corps, according to staff.
Additionally, two students also graduated early and are attending the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
